Working with J.D. Vance: Silicon Valley and Values Experience

Working alongside J.D. Vance, it's clear he's a hardworking, smart venture capitalist with a genuine compassion for the forgotten middle class.

### Insights on J.D. Vance from a Former Colleague
* 👨‍💼  The speaker worked with J.D. Vance for about a year when he was **starting out as a venture capitalist** in Silicon Valley.
* 🧠  Vance's intelligence, hard work, and **lack of ego** were highlighted during their time working together.
* 💼  His values were described as being very centered, with a strong focus on the **forgotten working class** and the **issues they face**.
* 🌐  Vance is seen as **pro-growth, pro-innovation**, and supportive of **eliminating regulations that hinder industry and economic growth**.
* 🔍  Despite his venture capital background, Vance is critical of big tech and supports **increased oversight and potential breakup of tech giants**.
* 💰  The speaker notes that not all venture capital investments are beneficial, with some sectors being **particularly destructive to society**.
* 📚  Vance's primary driving force is seen as his concern for the **forgotten working class**, which was the core theme of his book "**Hillbilly Elegy**."
* 💡  The speaker believes Vance's focus in venture capital was on investing in companies that would **make the nation healthier and safer**, rather than contributing to **job displacement in traditional industries**.

Give us the detail of your time spent working alongside J.D. Vance and what you learned about him. And for full disclosure, we got you on the show because you are quoted in that Bloomberg story overnight that we were just discussing with Michael. Great. Well, thank you so much. I really appreciate the opportunity to indeed be here. I had a fantastic experience with JD. I worked with him for about a year when he was just starting out in Silicon Valley. He was just starting out as a venture capitalist, and he was fantastic to work with. I mean, everyone knows how intelligent he is. But one thing that really showed through in those early days, working with him one-on-one, sitting down with founders, listening to their stories, evaluating deals, was how smart he is and how hard-working he was. And he continues to be. You can't be a polymath and get up to speed on a lot of different industries unless you're both smart and willing to

put in the time and put in the work.
And I found in him an eager, utterly without ego, smart, hardworking, really
fun guy whose values were very centered. And, you know, there's been a lot of
talk about how JD is a Silicon Valley candidate.
Yes. And yes.
On the one hand, that's true. He's going to be good for Silicon
Valley. He's going to be good for the country
because he is pro-growth. He is pro-innovation, and he's also pro
eliminating those regulations that strangle industry, that strangle growth.
But that's really only. Chris, one quick point on that.
All right. It's his it pains this morning to point
out there's a difference between an association with venture capital and the
technology industry at large. His position on big tech is very clear
that he's he's in favor of breaking up big tech and increased oversight by the
FTC that might be at odds with the rest

of the Republican base.
As a venture capitalist, what do you make of that?
As a venture capitalist and as a former antitrust lawyer?
Way back when I can say unequivocally that predatory behavior on the part of
large firms with market power is unequivocally bad for the economy. It is
bad, and particularly when those companies control a lot of the speech
that we see and control our access to information, is bad for our democracy.
So as an ant, a former antitrust lawyer, as a VC, as someone who cares about our
our democracy and freedom of speech, I unequivocally agree with JD on his
skepticism and concern about some of the very large technology companies in our
economy. I'm interested, Cristol, to go back to
it. And do you think JD Vance himself will
be kind of critical of the way we're all going berserk?
There's a B.S. in the White House.
I'm so sorry.

I didn't completely understand what Carey was
saying. Oh, trumping Kara.
What Caroline was saying is that. What do you think Jade events makes of
all of the media coverage? That he's a venture capitalist or form
of DC, and he's now potentially going to be in an administration?
You know, JD is an extremely humble guy. I remember when his book first came out,
he was, you know, gobsmacked by how much attention he got and by how much his
words meant to so many people. So I imagine that he is feeling a lot of
humility right now in general for being, you know, at being chosen for the vice
presidential pick by President Trump. And I think that he would feel this, you
know, the same way that I'm expressing right now, which is fundamentally and
even on day one, when he was in Silicon Valley, his driving force is his concern
for the forgotten working class.

The people in this nation, at this nation's core, who have suffered because of the hollowing out of traditional industry and the opioid epidemic. That was what animated his, you know, his desire to write his book, which was extremely raw, extremely vulnerable. And really, he sacrificed his own privacy to share it, to shine a light on a huge problem facing our nation's core that he wanted to make better. I think that, you know, my experience with him when he was working in venture capital was this was his primary, and this was his primary driving force. This was at the core of his identity. So, yes, he'll be good for Silicon Valley because he's pro-growth, he's pro-innovation, he's pro open source. And he is he is pro, you know, the innovation economy. And he's going to be really good for the country because of his genuine compassion for the forgotten middle class, for the forgotten working class. But.

KRISTOL: Many feel that venture capital doesn't help the forgotten middle class. Many feel that, in fact, artificial intelligence is going to do a disservice to it yet more. Can you twin for us what seems to be almost at loggerheads that here's someone who really cares about the hollowing out, who really cares about an opioid crisis, about the forgotten. At the same time as he's backing startup companies that perhaps will take away jobs from blue collar workers yet further. Do you think he was in any way trying to dovetail those two things together when you worked with him? Well, I don't see replacing steelworkers any time soon. And, you know, one of the things that when venture capital is an enormous category, everything from social media to national security technology, which is a space that I work in to health care. And I think that, you know, the best technology is the one that move things forward.

It's the one that provides enhanced capabilities for reduce cost. A lot of venture capital dollars are going in directions that I think are destructive for our society. We've certainly seen the destructive force of social media on family structures, on teenagers. So there is a whole category of companies that are invested in by venture capital firms that are extremely destructive to the fabric of American society. And then there is a whole other section of companies that are invested in that truly will, you know, answer our prayers. That will make us as a nation healthy, healthier and safer. That is the area where I invest. That is the area where Peter Thiel focuses a lot of his attention. That is where JD was investing. That's where his firm, Colin Greenspon, a former colleague of mine who worked with J.D. at his fund. That's where his focus is. So I think it's hard to to lump all of venture capital together in one bucket.

JD Vance’s Tech Ties Draw Cheers From Silicon Valley

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I had a fantastic experience working with J.

Vance for about a year in Silicon Valley as he started his career as a venture capitalist.

He impressed me with his intelligence, hard work, and lack of ego, showing a strong dedication to learning and growing.

Vance's values and pro-growth stance make him a good fit for Silicon Valley, despite his clear position on increased oversight and breaking up big tech.

JD Vance's Views on Large Technology Companies and His Potential Role in the Administration

JD Vance, a venture capitalist and former antitrust lawyer, strongly believes that the predatory behavior of large technology firms with market power is detrimental to the economy and democracy.

He is skeptical and concerned about the influence of these companies on speech and information access.

Despite his potential role in the administration, he remains humble and driven by his concern for the forgotten working class, as seen from his time in Silicon Valley.

The Author's Drive and Mission for Change

The author was motivated to write a raw and vulnerable book to shed light on the impact of the hollowing out of traditional industry and the opioid epidemic on the forgotten middle and working class.

Despite his background in venture capital and support for innovation, he is genuinely compassionate about addressing these pressing issues.

His belief in using technology to progress may seem contradictory to his concern for the affected blue-collar workers, but he sees the potential for technology to drive positive change in various industries, including healthcare and national security.

The Impact of Venture Capital Investment on Society

Venture capital is divided into two categories: one that is seen as destructive to society, particularly in the realm of social media, and another that is focused on improving the nation's health and safety.

Peter Thiel and JD's firm are among those who concentrate on the latter.

It is important to distinguish the different focuses of venture capital and not lump them all together.